Drying-kiln car



P. A. MEEHAN.

DRYING KILN CAR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, 1920.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

YORK.

ASSIGNOB TO AMERICAN A CORPORATION OF NEW DRYING-KILN CAR.

' Application filed April 26,

To (1. whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL A. Mnnrnin, cit zen of the United States, and resident of New Castle, in the county of Lawrence and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in uryingliiln Cars, of which the following is a specification.

Ely present invention consists in an improved car for use in drying kilns and was especially devised for use in moving brick through a continuous drying kiln. The general object of present invention is to provide a simple and effective car construction for the purpose s aecified provided with two brick supporting platforms located one above the other, so that the car can he loaded with brick to a height greater than that to which a single stack of undried brick can he piled without danger of the lower brick of the stack being crushed or deformed by the weight of the brick resting on them.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, and the advantages possessed by it reference should be had to the accom panying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure l is a transverse section of a continuous drying kiln with one of my improved cars therein;

Fig. 2 is a sectional right angles to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the car;

Fig. i is an elevation of one of the bolsters; and

ig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

The continuous tunnel'kiln type of drier A shown by way of example in Fig. 1, comprises an inclosing housing with track rails A at the bottom of the chamber for the cars B, on which the brick or other material to be dried are moved through the kiln. As shown the drying kiln is heated partly by means of a conduit A between the track rails through which a heating fluid is passed, and partly by means of hot air injected into the chamber from the distributed elevation, taken at Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

1920. Serial No. 376,459.

discharge orifices of pipes A the latter being supplied with air through valved connections from external supply pipes A. The roof of the kiln chamber is provided at proper points with outlets A for moist air. These outlets are ordinarily provided 'ith regulating dampers A.

My improved kiln car B comprises a body portion advan ageously formed of structural metal, and provided with bearings for the supporting wheels 13 which run on the track rails A. Mounted on and riveted t0 the body proper, are a series of trans verse bolsters C and C which unite to form pier like supports for the brick. The bolsters are advantageously so proportioned and spaced apart that each brick in the bottom course, wherein the brick run lengthwise-of the car, has its ends resting on two adjacent bolsters. The intermediate bolsters C are each preferably approximately twice as wide as the end bolster C, and each intermediate bolster C supports two sets of brick placed end to end. (See Fig. 5.) Advantageously the bolsters are inclined so that the upper surface of each bolster slopes downward at a slight angle from the outer end of the bolster to its center. The purpose of this tilt is to slightly incline the stacks X of brick one at each side of the longitudinal central plane of the car toward that plane when the brick are in their normal rectangular condition, so that if the brick contract more rapidly at their outer sides 1' ends than the inner sides in initial stages of the drwing operation, this unequal contraction will not cause the stacks of brick to lean outward from the vertical.

Advantageously the bolsters are formed of metal plate pressed into the hollow form shown in the drawings, and are provided with outwardly extending bottom flanges C the flanges of adjacent bolsters overlapping in the assembled construction as shown in Fig. 5.

Above the brick supporting platform formed by the bolsters secured to the car body is a second brick platform comprising a supporting frame D advantageously made of structural metal and provided with intermediate and end bolsters C and C, respectively, which may be identical with those mounted on the car body. At each side of the car, the upper platform D is provided with depending legs D. As shown nm is Adm/1 there are three of these legs at each side of the car. The legs D are advantageously made of channel bars as shown and have their lower ends beveled off as shown at the left hand side of Fig. 1 to enter the sockets formed by pocket members E secured to the sides of the car body.

In the contemplated mode of operation of the apparatus shown, the upper supporting platform D is lifted off the car body for the intitial loading of the car. After the proper amount of brick are stacked up on the bolsters, C and C of the car body, the upper supporting platform D is put in place and the proper amount of brick are stacked up on the supporting bolsters G and C of the platform D. Thereafter the car is moved through the kiln and its brick load is thereby dried. The car is next unloaded by re moving first the brick mounted on the upper platform D after which the latter is removed from the car and the brick on the car body are removed. The spaces between theadjacent bolsters C and C of the car body and on the upper platform D provide channels for the circulation of the kiln atmosphere, thereby facilitating the drying operation. A second function of these spaces is to receive the fingers of brick handling mechanism of known type whereby all or a substantial portion of the brick mounted on the upper platform D, or on the lower platform of the car may be put in place or removed in a single operation. With the brick arranged in stacks X as shown, I contemplate the removal and putting in place of a stack at a time. The hollow form of the bolsters C is advantageous not only because of the economy in weight and cost involved in this form of pressed metal construction, but also because the hollow interiors of the bolsters form ventilating channels open at their under sides and outer ends through which the kiln atmosphere may pass into the stack of brick resting on the bolsters through the apertures 0 formed in the top walls of the bolsters C. Preferably the brick are stack-ed to provide vertical spaces or channels in the brick mass open at their lower ends to to the apertures C While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I have described and illustrated the best form of my invention now known to me it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims and that certain features of the invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention,what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A car for the purpose specified having a work supporting platform formed by h0l low pressed metal bolsters each bolsterhaving its upper surface inclined downwardly at a slight angle from its outer end toward its center.

2. A car for the purpose specified comprising a car body and a work supporting platform formed by a series of hollow parallel metallic bolsters, said bolsters having openings formed in their upper surfaces.

3. A car for the purpose specified comprising a car body having a work supporting platform and a second platform above the first mentioned platform carried by legs detachably connected to the car body.

i. A car for the purpose specified comprising, a car body frame formed with sockets at its sides and provided at its top with parallel spaced apart brick supporting bolsters and a second frame above said car body frame provided with depending legs removably seated in said sockets, and parallel spaced apart brick supporting bolsters mounted on said second frame.

Signed at New Castle in the county 0 Lawrence and State of Denna, this 23 day of April, A. D. 1920.

PAUL A. MEEHAN. 

